Bring a blanket and pack your festive spirit for Carols in the Park

A baubles and bows inspired show featuring 30 festive songs, local choirs and dance groups, and an appearance by Santa, is set to entertain an expected crowd of more than 7,000 people at Carols in the Park on Sunday 8 December.

Council will host the family event at Munro Martin Parklands (MMP) from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, with the show to be livestreamed across to the Cairns Performing Arts Centre (CPAC).

Sandwiched between the two entertainment venues, Florence Street will be closed to traffic between Sheridan St and Grafton St, to allow food vans to serve up a range of tasty foods, including doughnuts, pizzas, tacos, Greek treats, loaded fries and ice cream.

Rachel Terry from Box Jelly Theatre Co is producing this year’s show, which features 240 local performers, including choirs, soloists, dance groups and a rock ’n’ roll Christmas band.

Mayor Amy Eden said Carols in the Park was a highlight of the city’s Christmas festivities.

“The amazing performances and the magical sound of thousands of people joining in to sing their favourite carols is a magical experience,” Cr Eden said.

“To add to the festive fun, we’d love to see as many people as possible put on their favourite Christmas baubles and bows outfits in line with this year’s theme.

“Munro Martin Parklands is the perfect venue for this event – there is lots of room, so bring your blankets, chairs and festive spirit for an evening under the stars.

“For those people who would prefer to be indoors, CPAC will be open and the show will be livestreamed from across the road.”

The show will feature a performance by Cairns’ Imani Williams, who is making waves in the professional theatre scene with roles in Jagged Little Pill and most recently Juliet, while local favourite Roz Pappalardo will also drop in to be part of the festivities.

An Auslan interpreter will be on stage to make the event more accessible to the deaf community.

A free songbook is available to download from the Council’s website or you can access it via QR codes at the show.

MMP gates will open at 4pm.

CPAC doors and the bar will open for drinks and light refreshments from 5pm, with the Bad Boys of Uke to entertain guests before the main show begins.

Both the live show at MMP and the live stream at CPAC are free events.

Events may be cancelled at short notice due to unfavourable or unsafe weather conditions. Please refer to Council's Facebook page for status changes. Council's web page is not updated for cancellations at short notice.

Florence St, between Sheridan and Grafton streets, will be closed to traffic for food trucks and activations from 10am to 9.30pm on Sunday 8 December.